Together, We Ride!
by Vyctori
Summary: (FE7) A collection of one-shots describing the life and travels of Eliwood's band of mercenaries.
1. Oh, Beauteous One!

Together, We Ride!

By: V.S. Windheart 

A/N: Hello, all! I'm Vyctori, _the_ definitive Rekka no Ken fanatic! ^_~ Like almost everyone else outside of Japan, I first heard of the Fire Emblemseries from Super Smash Bros. Melee. So, yeah, technically I'm a Fire Emblem newbie . . . but anyway!

This is going to be a collection of one-shots of multiple genres in chronological order. I'm going to try to cover most characters at least once; some will wind up with multiple fics. This first one is in Sain's point of view (scary thought), with humour being the genre. I suppose the only rating warning would be for his extremely corny flirting . . . but that's about it. A few minor spoilers; I've also hinted at one moderate one. Enjoy!

~ * * * ~

"Your eyes are two viridian globes of glory that shine their pureness and radiance upon your unworthy servant," I declared, one hand clasped over the general region of my heart. Hmm, not bad, I thought, mentally deciding to remember that line for the next time.

Priscilla blinked twice. "Uhh . . . thank you?"

Encouraged, I stepped forward and took her hand in mine. "Please, most beauteous one, use your perfect healing spells upon me, to cure me of the pain of being away from your side—ack!" A hand had grabbed the back of my collar and twisted, cutting off my air.

"I thought I told you to stay away from her," a voice behind me spoke coldly. 

Then I was spun around and found myself staring into the glittering eyes of the mercenary Raven.

"Ehhh . . . heh heh?" was all I managed, sounding extremely sheepish.

"Do I have to fulfil my promise that I made the _last_ time I caught you near Miss Priscilla?" Raven continued in a low voice.

I winced despite myself. "No, certainly not!"

"Then keep away from her." Raven released my collar and stalked off without waiting for an answer.

I shrugged and smiled somewhat guiltily at Priscilla, and then wandered off, hands in my pockets, acting as though it were my idea to stop flirting in the first place.

* * *

Lounging on the side of a hill, a long stem of grass in my mouth, and my arms behind my head, it was easy to forget about my failure and dream about my next success. Until. . . .

"Sain . . . what's this I hear about you flirting with Priscilla?" Kent's head loomed suddenly into my vision.

"Whatever you heard, I'm sure it's worse than the truth," I responded lazily, gesturing for him to sit down.

He did, a frown embedded firmly on his face. "Raven told me you were paying extravagant compliments to Priscilla, and you were even holding her hand! Explain, now."

"They weren't extravagant!" I protested. "That angel merited every single one!"

Kent sighed and ran a hair through his somewhat short red hair. "Sain, what am I supposed to do with you?"

"Love me?" I responded with a grin.

"_Ohh!_" Kent buried his face in his hands. "You're impossible!"

"Thank you."

"Seriously, though, Sain, you're going to find yourself in real trouble someday," Kent predicted. "You're not going to be able to get away with being a scoundrel forever. Sooner or later, some jealous husband or lover is going to find you and you're going to regret it."

"What, you don't think the Assistant Commander of Caelin's forces can handle himself?" I queried playfully, chewing on the length of grass.

"All I'm saying is, at least _try_ to curb your lecherous tendencies, all right?" Kent got to his feet and started to walk off.

"Hey, where are you going, Kent?" I asked.

"To find someone a lot less annoying to talk to," he tossed over his shoulder, not slowing at all.

I shrugged—or at least, tried to, since I was still lying down. Kent is so uptight, I mused, spitting out the grass strand and plucking a new one. I don't have anything to worry about . . . not a single thing at all. . . .

* * *

"And _then_ he grabbed my hand and blabbered something about me healing him of the pain of being away from my side!" Priscilla shook her head, disgusted. "If Ra—Raven hadn't choked him half to death and threatened him with something or other, I probably would have had to listen to that garbage for half an hour."

Rebecca wore a similar expression. "Sheesh. What an idiot. I think we should do something about him."

"Yes, but what? Sain's so thick that he won't notice if we try to freeze him out."

"What if. . . ." Rebecca began to chortle; obviously the implications of what she was thinking were most amusing indeed.

"What if what?" Priscilla pressed impatiently.

"What if we got all the women in this camp to start flirting with _him?_" Rebecca suggested with glee.

"How would that help?" Priscilla demanded. "The only thing that'd happen would be that he'd die of sheer happiness."

"No, no, you miss my point. Remember how you were upset when you found out that Sain says the same stupid things to everyone? Well, I have a feeling he wouldn't be the sort who would tolerate the same thing in return."

A smile gradually crept up on Priscilla. "You know, I think that just may work! Let's see, now who can we ask to help?"

"Well, obviously there's me and you . . . then there's Lyn and Florina. . . ."

"Do you think Florina would be able to flirt with Sain?" Priscilla wanted to know. "I mean, Sain sure is goofy, but he's still a man—in an odd sort of way."

"Probably, with her, saying 'hi' will count. Anyway, there's Serra—"

"Once again, are you sure?" Priscilla interrupted. "She seems to actually _like_ it when Sain shows off for her."

"That's only because she doesn't know he does the same with everyone. Once we tell her. . . ." The normally friendly archer wore a sadistic look.

"You really _are_ mad at him, aren't you?" Priscilla was impressed.

"Yup. Did we forget anyone?"

"Hannah," Priscilla joked.

"I don't think even Sain is _that_ desperate."

"Thank goodness. Well, what about the tactician?"

"Is the tactician even female?" Rebecca wondered.

It was a legitimate question. The tactician was quite a mystery. They always wore a huge brown cloak that covered them from head to foot. On the battlefield, they would shout out orders in what could be a deep female or a light male voice. No one knew even their name—they were always known as "the tactician." Only Lyn was close to the tactician; several had tried to worm some information out of her, but the Lady of Caelin had always refused, respecting her friend's love of privacy.

"Hmm, I don't know. I heard a rumour that Sain had made a few tentative passes at them," Priscilla mentioned. "Nothing more, though—it's hard to fall in love with a big brown piece of material."

Rebecca laughed. "But then again, there _are_ the whispers that try to explain why Lyn's so close to them. . . ."

"Let's just leave the tactician out of things. It's too complicated, otherwise. So, we gather up the women and start our campaign tomorrow. Deal?" Priscilla stuck out her hand.

"Deal." Rebecca shook it firmly.

If only I had been aware of what happened, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble. But, at that time, I was still resting on the hillside, without a care in the world. . . .

* * *

The next day, it was decided we would move out. We were not far from a village, and we wanted to arrive before the next day.

Riding behind Kent, daydreaming slightly, it took me a few moments to register that Priscilla was carefully moving her horse next to mine. As soon as I saw that lovely face beside me, all thoughts of Raven's wrath vanished from my head and I opened my mouth to begin my usual spiel.

However, Priscilla beat me to it. "Oh, Sain," she began in her sweet voice. "How glorious are your eyes! They sparkle like the most flawless emeralds."

I stared at her, forgetting to close my mouth.

"You ride so straight and true in your saddle, like a brave cavalier of legend," the troubadour continued.

Dust kicked up by Kent's horse drifted into my still-gaping mouth and I started to choke. My horse took exception to this and started to prance about rather skittishly. By the time I had everything under control and had stopped coughing, Priscilla had ridden on ahead.

Kent turned in his saddle. "What was _that_ about?"

"I'd love to be able to tell you, but I honestly have no idea myself." A decidedly goofy grin settled on my face. "Unless it means that fair Priscilla is not indifferent to my charms after all. . . ."

Kent snorted. "It must have been something she ate."

I gave him a sour look. "Thanks, oh boon companion of mine."

A little later, when we were travelling through a field, Florina landed her pegasus next to me. The girl looked as though she wanted to say something to me, so I waited patiently instead of launching into my normal praise.

". . . Um . . . uh. . . ."

"Yes, beauteous one?" I prompted her.

Not a good idea. Florina flushed completely red and all she could manage for the next few moments were a few indistinct noises. I resisted the temptation to lean closer to catch her mumblings, knowing if I got too close, I'd frighten her away again.

Finally, she swallowed hard, looked straight at my nose, and squeaked, "Hi, Sain."

I graced her with my most alluring smile. "Hello, gentle Florina."

"You—you look . . . n-nice . . . today," she stammered.

The gleam in my eyes that appeared must have scared her then, since with an "eep" of nerves, she quickly kicked her pegasus into flight and fled.

Once she was gone, Kent again gave me an odd look. "Sain—have you been slipping aphrodisiacs into Lowen's cooking?"

I grinned. "No, but that's an excellent idea, Kent. You're a real rogue when you want to be, aren't you?"

"Forget I ever said anything to you." Disgusted, Kent put a little more distance between us.

Just before we stopped for lunch, Lady Lyndis herself jogged up until she was beside me. Out of consideration for such a lovely lady as her, I slowed my horse until she could walk at a reasonable pace.

"Thank you, Sain. That was most kind of you."

"Not at all, milady Lyndis. I could do no less for such a beautiful creature as yourself."

"Please, Sain, do not call me 'Lady Lyndis,' but simply 'Lyn' instead." A coy look accompanied this statement.

Ahead, I noticed Kent's ears turn an interesting shade of pink, and I was quite sure that if he turned around, his face would match.

"Sain . . . I must say, you look so very wonderful. You carry yourself with pride, like a true hero. You are strong enough to defeat an entire army alone!" Lyn gushed.

Kent made a strangled noise in his throat. I, on the other hand, sat straighter in my saddle. "But of course, milady Lyndis—or rather, Lyn. I could do nothing less to serve you."

"Thank you, Sain . . . I always know I can count on such a handsome, muscled man like you. You are strong like glittering steel, and yet you are as gentle as silk with us delicate ladies. I admire that in a man."

Forgetting completely that the "delicate lady" in front of me could gut an enemy soldier in ten seconds flat, my chest puffed out slightly. "Thank you, most glorious Lyn."

"Now I must go attend the needs of the rest of the army. But I shall return to your side, my handsome Sain." 

And, with those parting words, Lyn continued her light run until she had caught up with Priscilla. Soon, the two were laughing and talking about some thing or another.

"Hey, Kent?" I called to my partner.

"I am not speaking to you," he gritted. "Go defeat an army single-handedly, the way _Lady Lyndis_ thinks you can."

Surprised, I sat back in my saddle to consider his remark. Then I shrugged. Well, Kent might be mad for a while, but no matter what I did, he usually made an effort to forget it within a day or so. I grinned suddenly. And how could I possibly be upset when three lovely ladies had paid me such wonderful compliments? It was impossible.

And I continued my ride, thoughts dancing through my head that kept me well entertained until our mercenary group stopped for lunch.

* * *

The midday meal was delightful, I must say. Serra and Rebecca spent the whole time arguing over me and flirting outrageously whenever they weren't fighting. Well, I didn't think their words were too far from the mark, but the majority of the men were either rolling their eyes excessively or ignoring me completely, so I suppose that's what _they'd_ call it.

However . . . my wonderful dream quickly rearranged itself into a horrible nightmare as everything fell to bits.

I realised things weren't quite so under control when I saw Serra, who had backed Erk against a tree, quite effectively trapping him.

"Oh, Erk! Your violet hair is like strands of the smoothest silk," she was burbling.

Erk, catching my eye, mouthed the words, "help me," and so I rode up rather quickly.

Reining in my horse, I demanded, "Serra! What are you doing? You were saying stuff like that about _me_ at lunch!"

Without batting an eyelash, Serra turned and replied, "Oh, Sain! Your . . . hmm, how can I describe your hair?" Her mouth twitched in amusement. "It seems more the colour of swamp water than anything else."

"_Swamp water?_" I yelped, one hand rising up to cover my hair.

Erk took advantage of our distraction to dart away and out of sight. Apparently, the mage could move much faster than it appeared, provided he was given the proper encouragement.

"Hmm, let's just say greenish-brown for now." Serra finished her contemplations and took a deep breath. "Oh, Sain! Your greenish-brown hair is like strands of the smoothest silk!"

"But—but—you said the exact same thing to me as you did to Erk!" I protested.

"No, I didn't." Serra beamed at me. "I said 'violet hair' for Erk."

Disgusted, I steered my horse away from her, leaving her and her faithlessness behind.

But things weren't any better for me when I arrived nearer to the front of the line. There, I spotted Lyn, who had admired me so much earlier, cooing over _Kent_ of all people, instead! Kent himself was wearing what in my mind appeared to be a fairly silly smile. Enemy soldiers might have mistaken him for a signal flare from his brilliant red armour, bright red hair, and flaming red face. Despite his embarrassment, he seemed to be just soaking up her praise, the traitor.

My good mood ruined, I let my horse fall back a few steps, spotting Priscilla. She had been most poetic earlier—I needed her to soothe my wounded pride.

However, that just wasn't going to happen, as I noticed her paying the most extravagant compliments to a blushing Guy. Raven was looking on with an almost benevolent expression on his face.

"You're never going to allow Guy to lead her on that way, are you?" I inquired fiercely as soon as I was within earshot of the mercenary. "It'll break her heart!"

"Why?" Raven asked, still wearing that scarily-gentle expression.

"Because . . . because Guy's a real philanderer!" I babbled desperately. "You never can trust the men of Sacae! Uh-_uh!_" I shook my head quickly.

Raven glanced at Guy, who was so flustered by Priscilla's attention that he had just tripped over his own feet, and then gazed at me levelly. "Well, I suppose it would take one to know one, wouldn't it, Sain? Personally, I trust Guy a heck of a lot more than I trust you."

"Well . . . well . . . ." I stammered. "_Hey!_"

Priscilla, seeing that Erk had come to check on her, began spewing the same nonsense at him. Guy looked shattered for a moment, but then Priscilla bent her lovely head and whispered something in his ear, which caused him to brighten considerably.

Raven caught the exchange and his usual expression—a deadly scowl—settled on his face. "What the _heck_ is she doing . . . ? Excuse me, Sain." And he walked off to confront Priscilla.

Turning away, a flicker of green caught my eye. I took a brief look back—to see Rebecca intercept Raven and begin to play the coquette with him!

That was outside of enough. In a gigantic sulk, I dropped back to the very end of the train, even behind Merlinus and Marcus, who were discussing something about bakeries. I didn't even want to know. All I wanted was to be left alone to brood—well, almost. I had been hoping that perhaps one or two of the lovely young ladies would see me pining and come to cheer me up. Nothing. I didn't encounter anyone, female or male, until we stopped to camp for the night, as we didn't quite making it to the village as planned.

Setting up my tent took no time at all. I considered retiring into it, even though the stars had barely appeared. All I would face would be more of the women of the camp flirting—with everyone else. Decided, I started to tug off a boot.

"Hey, Sain, what are you doing?" Wil, who was walking by, asked in a friendly tone.

"Going to bed," I answered curtly.

Wil raised his eyebrows at my unusually poor mood. "Aw, come on. Don't be so antisocial, Sain. . . . Huh, never thought I'd have to tell _you_ that!"

I pressed my lips together in annoyance. Then, I thought, well . . . maybe my luck will change again. "All right, Wil. Just give me a minute."

I replaced my boot and then rose to my feet, falling in with Wil's pace.

"I don't know _what's_ going on today," he chattered. "Rebecca was being all giggly—she was praising my strong arm and terrific aim with my bow. Usually, she natters on about how bad I am, and how much practice I need. I don't get it."

"No man _ever_ understands women," I informed him, thinking over what happened earlier in the day.

"What, not even you? I mean, you spend so much time around them. . . ." Wil grinned.

"No, _especially_ not me," I replied emphatically as we reached the central fire.

"Look! Wil, the brilliant, brave, flame-haired archer is _here!_" Serra squealed. "Oh, and Sain, too."

That sounded uncomfortably like an afterthought. I didn't like being an afterthought where women were concerned, and so I stomped to a badly lit corner of the clearing and sat down angrily. Then I tried not to make a face—"angrily" translated into _hard_, and my rear now hurt quite terribly.

Obviously, I wasn't quite successful, as Hector snorted and hid a grin. At his side, I noticed a cowering Florina, who seemed to be trying to work up her nerve to speak with him, no doubt to fill his ear with more junk like the others.

I folded my arms and frowned. Perhaps the scowl was not quite as impressive as Raven's usual, but it was a fairly decent effort all the same. Bits of conversation floated past me, snippets like "splendid bravery," and "warm brown pools of gentleness," and even "strongest man in the whole world," twisting around my head like whispering snakes. I sat and listened, my fists clenched, until, watching no less than Priscilla, Lyn, and Rebecca curl up against a very apprehensive Lowen, I could take it no longer.

I shot to my feet. "_Enough!_"

All eyes turned to me in mild interest.

"What's wrong, Sain?" Serra inquired, twirling a lock of poor, scared Lucius' hair around one finger. The monk tried desperately to escape while Serra was diverted, but her fingers clamped over his arm and held him down.

"What's wrong? _What's wrong?_" I was very close to hyperventilating. "What's _wrong_ is that you five are deliberately trying to break my heart! After this morning, I thought you all cared for me, but now you're all throwing yourself at every single man in the camp, as if—as if—"

"As if we're _you_." Lyn extricated herself from Lowen—to his very great relief—stood, and walked until we were almost nose-to-nose. "Look, Sain, we women are bloody tired of you playing the heartbreaker, and so we decided to do something about it."

"We wanted to show you what it felt like to think that you were cherished and loved one moment, and then to feel like nothing at all as soon as the next pretty face comes by," Rebecca piped up, also standing.

Priscilla came forward. "And so we decided to throw empty sentiments at you the way you do to us all the time. So you'd think before you flirted the next time."

"But—but—ladies. . . ." I managed. "You're all so beautiful . . . ! Don't you . . . appreciate being told how lovely you are?"

"We'd appreciate it if we thought you meant it," Serra snapped. "Sain, I thought you loved _me!_ Not those other things—_me!_"

"I—I—" For practically the first time in my entire life, I was at a loss for words.

For a long, _long_ moment, the five women of the camp glared at me. Even sweet Florina managed a somewhat irate expression. I tried to meet all of their eyes, but I just couldn't bear it. I dropped my head and stared at my boots.

"All right, you lot, that's enough," Kent spoke, standing. 

Soon, the entire camp would be on its feet, I thought giddily. "Kent . . . ?" Disbelief filled my voice.

"I know that Sain has been careless in the past, but please, I think he has learned his lesson. I believe he'll be a little more sensitive for the next while."

"It's not that we don't like you, Sain," kind-hearted Priscilla let me know. "It's just that we've had quite enough flirting, thank you very much."

I smiled in relief. "Oh tender angel of mercy! You—" 

"Shut it, Sain," Lyn ordered, though not in a hurtful tone.

"Yes, milady." I closed my mouth without another word.

* * *

I had definitely understood the point that the women made. Keeping it in mind, I kept myself from acting like a scoundrel . . . for three days. After that—well, let's just say that the phrase "Oh, beauteous one" was heard in the camp of Eliwood's mercenaries once again . . . !

~ * * * ~

Vyctori: I'm so excited! I've sent away for my first Fire Emblem muse, and the people at the muse place said that they'll be here today! It took a lot of deciding, but I thought Lyn would make a fantastic choice! She's spunky and great with a sword, but not homicidal like my last muses. Oh, this is so exciting!

*doorbell rings*

Vyctori: That must be her! *scurries to door and flings it wide*

Sain: Ah! Our new author is a woman! *eyes gleam* And a beautiful one, at that! Vision of glory, I--

Vyctori: {!!!) Wait just a second! I asked for the muse place to send me LYN, not you!

Sain: The lady Lyndis was much too busy governing Caelin, and so she sent us, instead. *takes Vyctori's hand in his* And so we shall spend many idyllic days together . . . and perhaps nights.

Vyctori: *snatches hand away and takes a step back* Over my dead body! . . . Hang on a second. You said "us." Unless you're speaking in the royal we, that means someone _else_ is going to be here to annoy me. . . .

???: *irritated* Sain, you haven't been getting on our new author's bad side _already_, have you?

Vyctori: ?

Kent: *brushes past Sain* My apologies, miss. Sain can be remarkably ill-mannered when it comes to speaking with women.

Vyctori: {!!!)

Sain: I am _not_ ill-mannered! I was treating our new author with the reverence she deserves.

Kent: *snorts* You probably didn't even find out her name before you started flirting with her. Am I correct?

Sain: *sheepish* Eh heh heh. . . .

Vyctori: *big grin* My name's Vyctori. I'm very pleased to meet you, Kent!

Sain: O tender flower, what about me? *wounded look*

Vyctori: Yeah, yeah. You have to admit, thought, you haven't exactly made a good first impression. Anyway, review, readers, or I'll send Sain after you if you're female, or after your female friends if you're male. Okay?

Sain: Hey!

Vyctori: ^_^


	2. Mingled Rain and Tears

I'm back! ^_^ I know it's been a bit, but I've been working on the Official Fanfiction University of Rekka no Ken almost non-stop!

Unfortunately for me, because I took so long to get this one-shot written, someone else posted a very similar fic in the time I was working on this. That'd be Suppi-chan, who wrote the very excellent "in the end." I suppose our writing styles are different enough for me to get away with this, though. . . . My apologies, Suppi-chan.

The reviewers. . . .

FIREmblemFAN: Thank you! ^_^

Phoenix 14: Sain's one of my favourite characters, to be truthful! I've read all his support conversation (that I know of), and they're _really_ helpful for characterization, let me tell you! Everyone gets mad at him because above all, women like men who are faithful. And really, when it comes to the "lovely ladies," that isn't really an applicable adjective . . . ! 

Sain might actually hinder your girlfriend problems, as they'd probably assume you were like him and leave without getting to know you . . . ! And here's the next part!

Yoshimi Takahashi: *groans at horrible pun* Yoshiiiiimiiii! Thanks for the compliments, even if they were presented with a truly awful joke! And yes, Sain is going to make life pretty . . . interesting. . . .

Millennium Slinky: *waves back* Yes, poor Sain. You always hurt your favourites, soooo . . . ! ^_^ Guy certainly is untrustworthy when it comes to women! Just look at his supports with Priscilla—he's all over her! ^_~ And thanks for the compliments!

Itzel: Thanks! *grins*

kyuusei: Is it . . . Nergal come to demand I write him a one-shot? ^_~ Anyway, thanks a lot! I hadn't enjoyed writing a fic that much for ages! Sain's so fun to write about!

The Dark Dragoness: Thanks! Characterization is one of the hardest things about fanfic, in my opinion, so it's nice to know people think I succeeded! ^_^

Feonyx: Yeah, I am too. The chapter system of the game kind of makes it just like a collection of short stories! And I certainly hope I can match this with my next few chapters! ^_^

Kevin C: Rebecca may be naughty, but so are the rest for going along with her! ^_^ And I'll certainly try to keep it up!

Flaming Tigress Mage: "Disastrous" doesn't even half describe what'll happen if Sain tries his luck with Menardi . . . ! I don't think this counts as updating soon, but it's as soon as I could! ^^;;

Ivanfanatic: Hey, are you the one who's running "Just the Wind"? And poor Erk indeed. He doesn't have good luck with ANYTHING. ^^;

Semaj Fallen: Well, I did my best, though OFURNK kinda got in the way . . . ! Which reminds me, I'll probably be updating that in the next few days. Thanks for the review, Fallen! ^_~

Megumi: Thank you very much! ^_^ Hope this one-shot doesn't disappoint!

***

Wow, that's very impressive for one solitary one-shot o' mine! ^_^ Thanks a lot, everyone!

This chapter is from Matthew's point of view. Genre is angst (poor Matthew!), and the rating is PG for a few mentions of blood, though it probably could get by with a G. Enjoy—or not, since it's angst. Uh . . . yeah. *flees*

~ * * * ~

"Matthew, you get back here!" Hector roared at me. "I thought I told you never to do that again!"

Grinning, I darted across the pirate ship so that I was out of the enraged lord's reach. "What's wrong, milord? Don't like carrying all my extra gear? But you're ever so strong—I don't see why it bothers you so!"

"Matthew, you—you—" Hector spluttered, wanting to call me so many names that they were getting in each other's way in his mouth. Unable to speak, he simply gestured very explicitly.

Still smiling, I walked over to where Lyn was observing the steadily approaching isle of Valor. "Hullo, Lyn."

"Give it back, Matthew," she ordered automatically.

Looking wonderfully innocent, I handed back her purse. "Old habits die hard, as they say."

"It won't just be habits that'll be dying hard if you don't cut that out," Lyn threatened cheerfully.

I blinked at her. "I don't have a clue as to what you mean."

"I bet you don't." She shook her head and chuckled. "You're in a good mood. That means someone's probably mad at you. Let me guess—Guy?"

"Nope; Guy's still smarting too hard from the last time I beat him to try anything new. This time, it's Hector."

Lyn groaned. "Oh, Matthew, don't tell me you stuck your spare belongings in his pack again! And after he had just forgiven you, too!"

I smiled. "What can I say? I'm so small and light that I _need_ a big lug like him to take my burden!"

Lyn snorted. "Don't let Hector hear you calling him that, as true as it is. And don't tell him I said that, either."

"Of course not, milady! Your wish is my command!" And with an elegant bow, I went off to find someone else to annoy.

* * *

A little more than an hour later, the hull of the boat scraped against the gritty shore of Valor. We had arrived at the Dread Isle. 

A fog had started to creep in. It wasn't a soft fog that made lantern light into lovely soft globes and that eased the sharp corners of buildings, but one that made everyone move a little closer together. It was a hungry mist, one that seemed as if it would swallow a person and never give them up again.

"Matthew, could you light the torch?" Eliwood asked, voice subdued.

"Yes, milord." I spoke in barely more than a whisper. My earlier playful mood was gone with the sun.

Once I had done so, I held it high. It didn't help much. Beyond a certain point, the light only reflected off the fog, actually hindering everyone's sight. But it was still strong enough to pick out a figure leaning against a tree.

"Who's there?" Eliwood called out sharply.

The shape made no response. The three lords hurried on ahead; I followed.

"It's Leila!" Hector exhaled in relief. "That was great work, Leila, finding us here. . . ."

Leila, eyes shut, made no response. My breathing became shallower and more rapid as I realised—something is terribly wrong.

"Leila . . . ?" Lyn stepped forward and placed a hand on Leila's shoulder.

Slowly, as if in a nightmare, Leila toppled to one side. Landing facedown in the mud, we all could see the brilliant red, ragged slash that sliced her back from shoulder blades to waist. The dark crimson of blood . . . so much blood . . . that soaked her clothing until the original bright colours were almost gone. . . .

My mouth fell open and I very nearly let the torch fall from my sensation-less fingers. "L-L—"

"Such cruelty—they left her out here for us to find, to serve as a crude warning." Eliwood's face was dark, his mouth set.

Hector pulled his gaze from her and faced me. He didn't look me in the eye. "Matthew . . . I'm so sorry. You and she. . . ."

"Leila made a mistake, that's all." I wasn't sure how I was able to speak. Not when my world was ending. "She was careless. . . . I was going to talk to her after this last mission, convince her to get out while she still could. I guess I was too slow. . . ." I tried to laugh—it was a mockery of my ordinarily light-hearted chuckle.

"Oh, Matthew. . . ." Lyn murmured helplessly, eyes tearing.

I turned to face Hector, though I did not look him in the eye. "Milord . . . she needs to be—buried. May I . . . ?"

"Of course . . . take all the time you need." Hector silently clamped a hand on my shoulder for a moment, then let go.

I stooped and gathered Leila's light body in my arms and began to walk. I had pictured myself carrying her over the threshold of our house when we were married. Looking down at her mud-smeared, bloodstained face, I knew that dream would never come true. Not in this lifetime.

A chill rain began, at first slowly. It gathered strength, trickled down my back, washed Leila's face clean. With the dirt and blood gone, it almost seemed as though Leila was sleeping, and that any moment, she'd awaken with that wicked gleam in her eye that I loved so. Had loved so.

I could almost allow myself to forget, if it weren't for the stickiness that coated my fingers and lower arms. . . . The blood from her fatal wound brought me back to reality.

Just as quickly, I retreated to memories, a new one coming to me with every pace I took. Step. Leila picking my pocket as I stole from her. Step. Sitting beside her on the castle wall as the sun warmed our faces. Step. Stolen kisses in the darkness. Step. Step. . . .

The rain tapered off. I was in a small clearing in the forest; my feet had carried me there without my awareness. It would be a lovely place, if it weren't for the fog. And if it weren't for the fact that I was burying the only woman I had ever loved . . . would ever love.

With the same tenderness I showed her in life, I gently set her down under a tree, where the rain hadn't fallen. I searched for a reasonably flat rock and found it. Then I began to dig.

The ground was soggy, which helped. The work was mind-numbing. I should have been grateful, but instead of losing myself in my task, I began to think.

The last time I had seen her was in Castle Caelin. There, I had subtly proposed to her, but, fearing the answer, ran off before she could respond. I don't know why I was afraid. We had been lovers for several months, taking our moments alone when our work for Lord Uther did not separate us. I loved her so much that it frightened me sometimes. I had no idea what I would do if I lost her . . . and I never realised that I would find out so soon.

It was foolish, really. Both of us knew the dangers of our profession, and yet I never imagined that her life would be snipped off so quickly. I don't think she had thought of it either. Leila had been so very good at spying. And yet even the best failed sometimes. But in our trade, one mistake was all it took. One stupid mistake. . . .

The ground below me wavered as my vision clouded with tears. The hole I had dug was large enough to accommodate her body. It wasn't deep, but I hadn't the time to increase its size. I still had a job to do—and now I had to do it for the two of us.

I wiped away my tears with one hand. The time for mourning was later. Now, I had to confront the evil people who had done this to Leila, and, without a doubt, countless others. I had to make sure they would never again put anyone through such loss.

Removing my well-worn cloak, I carefully wrapped it around Leila. I didn't want to bury her without at least some sort of covering. I carried her over to the shallow grave and brushed a kiss across her forehead one last time. Then I covered her face and softly laid her in the hole.

I stared down at her cloth-wrapped body for the longest time. I couldn't bring myself to throw the first clod of earth onto her—doing so would mean the loss of all my dreams. Sprinkling dirt upon her would mean she was truly dead.

I still don't know how I began, but suddenly I found myself first sprinkling the mud slowly into the grave, then faster and faster. I couldn't bear it. As each handful of dirt dropped into the grave, my sobs came heavily and deeply. Tears streamed from my eyes, combining with the light drizzle that had begun again. Both tears and rain flowed freely, until the loathsome job was done.

I knelt at Leila's grave for a few moments, trying to get my emotions under control. It wouldn't do for my friends to see me in this state, not when they were so used to the light-hearted, carefree me. That Matthew seemed so far away right now.

"I'll be back, Leila," I murmured quietly, standing and brushing at the mud at my knees. "I'll have Lucius say some prayers over you or something, to make this seem more like a proper burial. And I'll never forget you. . . ."

I turned on my heel and silently walked away. If this were a bard's tale, the rain would stop, the fog would lift, and the sun would shine through the trees, as some sign of future hope.

But this wasn't a story. The fog stayed where it was. And the rain continued its frigid caress down my back, through my hair, over my bare arms as I walked away from one life and began another.

~ * * * ~

Vyctori: *sniffles* I liked Leila. I really did.

Kent: Excuse me, Miss Vyctori, but where should I put my gear?

Vyctori: Let's see. I have two guest rooms that are available right now. Kent, you can have Alex's room—he won't mind. *mutters* Or else. *louder* And let's see . . . Sain, you can have Menardi's room.

Sain: ^_^

Vyctori: ¬_¬ She's moved out, Sain.

Sain: ;_;

Vyctori: *headache coming on* I think she left a few things in her room, though. She'll probably be returning to get them any time now.

Sain: Darling pearl of beauty! What does this muse of yours look like?

Vyctori: *gets evil idea* She's tall, with long blond hair, and she's very pretty.

Sain: *eyes sparkle* Ahh, I must meet her!

*doorbell rings*

Vyctori: Go answer that, will you, Sain?

Sain: *rushes off*

Kent: . . . Vyctori, I get the impression you weren't telling Sain everything about this Menardi. . . .

Sain: *answering the door* O lovely vision of delight, I am struck by your beauty! Will you not grace me with your presence?

???: _Pyroclasm!_

Sain: Aiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeee!

Vyctori: You're right, Kent. She's also a fire mage and she wields a pretty mean scythe as well!

Kent: -_-;;;;; I had best bring Sain this vulnerary, then. . . .

Vyctori: I'd say you'll need a good half dozen of those—Sain hasn't built up a resistance to Mars Psynergy yet, unlike me. . . .

Menardi: *enters* All right, you lot, review this, or face the same fate as this weirdo here. *gestures at blackened Sain*

Vyctori: *sighs*


	3. First Interlude: Never a Child

A/N: Hello again! I'm back with more angst! ::gasps:: Yes, that's right, if the previous one-shot didn't get you depressed enough, I've a poem that'll do just the trick! Aren't I so nice? ::grins::

Anyway, for some reason,I can't seem to put spaces between the verses, so I think I'm gonna have to drop in a full stop between every . . . single . . . one. If anyone can find a solution to this, please tell me (wow, this will completely ruin the mood).

Review responses. . . .

Yugi the Other White Meat: Yeah, I hated that part of the game too (why'd I write a one-shot about it? Well . . . !). Especially since I was just getting all enthusiastic about the Matthew/Leila pairing, too . . . darn you, Nintendo!

GoldAngel1: I'm glad you liked what I wrote. Sain comes so easily to me, for some reason. Hopefully, that doesn't mean anything . . . ! And I'm also happy you liked how I portrayed Matthew. Strangely enough, I was in a great mood when I was writing this. Heh!

Cathy Barton: Thanks a lot! Though I don't know whether or not this classifies as "soon," heh heh.

hyliansage: Yeah, that part had me depressed for the rest of the day . . . not nice. And it must've been quite a while since I updated, considering we were still on the Erk picture! ::sweatdrops::

Kevin C: You have ten muses?! ::stares:: Wow, and I thought five was a lot to handle! Minis, whoo. Don't even want to THINK about them here. They may be adorable, but after you hit the three hundred mark, they get to be a bit of a handful. ::sweatdrops:: Anyway, I'm really happy you liked this—thanks for reviewing! ::smiles::

Jessica Kite: Preferably one we didn't get to know, and one that wasn't romantically involved with a member of the army, huh? . . . But the scene wouldn't have been as effective at showing what the Black Fang had become, so much as I hate this, I _suppose_ they had a reason for doing this. Still!

Semaj Fallen: Yeah, Ephidel was so cruel, wasn't he? ::angry:: And I actually liked him quite a bit, up until that point. And—what do you _mean_, Karst is coming to visit?! ::stares:: Oh boy, this isn't going to be good . . . !

Morning Mist: Thank you! I try! ::smiles::

SM together (x2): I'm putting you on a real roller coaster of emotions, huh? First chapter makes you laugh (hopefully), second chapter brings you down . . . and this interlude's going to pull you down even lower, I think. Thanks for the fav!

Megumi: Heh, people do strange things like that. I'm prone to illogicalness myself, as any of my friends or muses would tell you . . . ! I promise I'll bring in a one-shot with Wil sometime! Can't guarantee it'll be soon, but if I don't include him, I know several people who would complain quite a bit (not just you!).

Samurai101: Well, I hardly think Matthew would be _rejoicing_ . . . ! ::grins:: Glad you like it!

gfds: ::blushes:: Thank you!

-------------

Wow, that was a lot of reviews! ::beams:: Thank you so much, everyone!

Well, I know this update's brief, but I have a lot of projects on the go. The next chapter's already half-written, so hopefully I'll be a bit faster posting it (_hopefully_ being the key word, here).

Enjoy (if you can do that with a death poem)!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Pulled backwards into its grasp,

the fire begins to lick at me.

.

It is hungry.

.

Calling out, begging for a salvation

that does not come.

And as I begin to die, everything slows

as I realise:

.

Never a child,

never to know.

Never innocent,

never carefree.

.

I came into the world fully formed,

an adult, already with

the hundreds of careworn experiences

that make up a person,

yet never

truly

feeling them for myself.

.

The fire, spiralling out of control,

playfully feeds itself on my hair and clothes.

Sadistic enjoyment, it seems,

cruel destruction for entertainment.

.

As my skin chars, I remember

seeing so many children at play

as I walked

through Castle Laus' surrounding village,

cloaked, always cloaked from the sun.

I felt superior.

.

I felt envious.

.

Excruciating pain brings me back.

And in my last eternal seconds,

it runs through my mind

again and again:

.

Never a child,

never to know.

Never innocent,

never carefree.

.

Never a child,

never to know.

Never innocent,

never carefree.

.

Never a child

never—

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Vyctori: Ahem. Well, that's it. Short update, I know. Probably the review responses were larger! ::hears doorbell ring:: Hmm, who's this? ::goes off to answer the door::

Karst: ::walks in, carrying scythe:: Hi there!

Vyctori: ::blinks:: What are you doing here, Karst? Isn't this the wrong fandom?

Karst: ::shrugs:: Semaj sent me to visit Menardi.

Vyctori: But she doesn't cover my non-Golden Sun fics!

Sain Kent: ::enter room::

Kent: Who's this, Vyctori?

Vyctori: This is Karst—she's Menardi's younger sister.

Sain: ::opens mouth::

Vyctori: ::stomps on foot::

Sain: !!! What was that for, lovely Lady Vyctori?

Vyctori: ::whispers:: Karst has one of the biggest tempers I've ever seen; she'd appreciate your flirting even less than Menardi does. ::aloud:: Anyway, review, everyone, even though the before and after junk took up twice as much space. And Semaj, don't forget to pick up your muse when you're done.

Sain: ::clutching foot:: Yes, please review, to make this darling angel smile.

Kent Karst: ::annoyed::


End file.
